RHYS IS AN OK PLAYER

North 1st team entertained second from bottom Hessle at home, hoping that their home form would continue, and emerged triumphant 31-7.

North made a bright start, when after ten minutes of continuous forward pressure, Captain Don Stone dived over the line for North to take a well deserved lead. Dan Luck nonchalantly kicked the straightforward conversion. North continued to dominate the game in the forwards, but some wayward kicking was occasionally causing themselves problems. On a couple of occasions North had a two man overlap but chose to kick possession away, or in one instance attempt a unnecessary drop goal – which was more akin to a grubber kick, never going higher than a foot off the ground! - DOUGIE!!!!

North did manage to increase their lead after thirty minutes, when a good scissors move between Luck and Dave Barrett released full back Rhys Kilbride, who brushed off two tacklers before scoring under the posts. Luck again with the conversion. A minute before half time a shattering collision in midfield caused the game to be halted for nearly 35 minutes whilst firstly an ambulance, and then the air ambulance where called to dispatch a Northallerton player to hospital with a suspected broken leg.
SOMEONE DID SAY THAT THE AIR AMBULANCE WAS CALLED TO LIFT TANK OFF THE FLOOR AFTER FALLING OVER THO!
With both Captains consent, the referee blew for half time. 14-0

After over half an hours break the game resumed, but this time with the visitors in the ascendency. North were struggling to reproduce their form of the first half and were pinned in their own 22 for the first 10 minutes of the restart, until Hessle eventually went over for a try. With the conversion the teams were only seven points apart and a comeback upset was on the cards. Just before the hour mark North introduced Will Hogg for the injured Dave Baker and with some encouragement from the near capacity crowd (all 17 of them), slowly began to get back into the game. Again it was Kilbride who was North’s saviour coming from deep on a crash ball, through two tacklers again, to go under the posts. Luck was again casual and successful with the conversion. With North now in a 14 point lead they seemed to relax more and play some ingenious rugby, even some of the kicking began to improve. Bruiser Marc Waldon and Liam Lincoln were introduced for the tiring Barrett and Richard Lonsdale to freshen proceedings up. Kilbride completed his hat-trick five minutes before time, showing remarkable acceleration over 10 yards to be almost unstoppable near the corner flag. This time Lucks conversion attempt fell short. On the stroke of full time Kilbride got his fourth try, again it was his blistering pace out wide that caused the problems with his opposite number unable to keep up, he raced away to score in the same corner. Again Lucks conversion fell just short. Final score 31-7

Next week North face the arduous journey to Sheffield Medicals.